On the third episode of the “What is a Good Life?” podcast, I am joined by Tom Goodwin. Tom is the author of Digital Darwinism, a keynote speaker, an advisor to Fortune 500 companies and start-ups, and a commentator on the future of advertising, marketing, technology and business. He also contributes to publications such as The Guardian, TechCrunch, Forbes, and the World Economic Forum, among many others.In this episode:- Observing the oddity of knowing what is good for us, even enjoying it, and rarely making it a habit- Comparing social media and in-person communication- Questioning where we spend all this time we save by using various apps?- Exploring what Tom is both optimistic and pessimistic about regarding our use of technology- Questioning the obsession we have with the optimising of and streamlining of human behaviour- The importance of challenging our own views and not taking life so seriouslyThe point of this podcast, in general, is not to provide you with neat little Top 5 actionable takeaways, if life were simply about absorbing intellectual information, we’d all have 6 packs (if that was your thing) and live the most productive lives imaginable. The point is to curiously observe what is going on for us as humans and to bring more of our behaviour into focus, which can lead to incremental, maintainable changes over the long-term (may not sound too sexy but I’m tired of the instant nonsense, and endless lists, people are promising elsewhere).Running Order:00:00 Introduction02:00 Exploring makes me, me, what I am about04:20 We don’t get addicted to things that make us happy 07:00 Surprising how hard it is to do the things you like11:30 How Social Media and in-person communication compare15:30 Levelling up or deepening our conversations from small talk20:20 How authentic are we being in conversation and life (reading off a script)25:30 What brings Tom happiness 28:30 Seeking out different points of view31:50 VCs investing in making life more efficient without making the world better35:10 Stripping human connection out of life38:20 What innovations make Tom optimistic and pessimistic about the future with regards to technology?41:30 AI 43:50 Technology is still a mirror or a lever of human behaviour47:30 Try not to take life too seriously52:10 Stop worrying about things we can’t control54:30 Challenges to facing a good life – choosing the right thing is much harder than you think55:50 The Loop first thing in the morning – Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn – 45 mins gone58:15 What is a good life? for TomSubscribe for weekly episodes, every Tuesday, and check out my YouTube channel for daily clips and weekly reflections.For further content and information check out the following: - For clips and video of the podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@whatisagoodlife/videos- My newsletter: https://www.whatisagood.life/- My LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-mccartney-14b0161b4/

Ask this episode

“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.

Transcript

Related